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Longmont arts organizations abandon merger talks

Firehouse on its eighth director since 2008

By Quentin YoungLongmont Times-Call

Posted:
02/09/2013 08:08:00 PM MST

Updated:
02/10/2013 05:25:37 PM MST

Jessica Kooiman, left, talks with artist Katie Queen during the opening reception for "Come Closer" on Friday at Firehouse Art Center. Kooiman, who had been serving as the gallery s art director, is at least the eighth person to fill the executive director position at the Firehouse since 2008.
(
Matthew Jonas
)

LONGMONT -- Leaders of Longmont's Firehouse Art Center and the Longmont Council for the Arts are no longer pursuing talks about a possible merger.

The leaders late last year had planned to talk seriously in January about the LCA absorbing the Firehouse, which has faced chronic financial difficulties. The organizations are both nonprofits that operate downtown art galleries and other programs.

But the talks never occurred, and the Firehouse board of directors has instead added four new board members, shaken up its staff and begun new fundraising initiatives.

"We're focused on going forward as the Firehouse under our own nonprofit corporation status as we have in the past," said Vern Seieroe, president of the Firehouse board. He did not rule out future merger talks with the LCA, however.

"We leave open discussions with the LCA," he said. "We are interested, if there's anything more to discuss, to discuss it."

Debbie Adams, president of the LCA board, said she wishes the Firehouse luck but expressed doubt about its ability to right itself.

"They have somewhat of an uphill battle, because of their starting point," Adams said. "It will be challenging to get grants, because of their financials."

In December, Seieroe said the Firehouse was down to several thousand dollars on hand. One Firehouse board member, Stephanie Hilvitz, resigned that month, saying she felt some of her colleagues were resisting a merger with the LCA, which she saw as the only way for the Firehouse to keep its doors open.

In an interview this week, Seieroe said the Firehouse in late December discovered $5,000 to its credit that it didn't know it had. He attributed the lost-and-found money to a lack of oversight but did not elaborate, saying it was a "personnel matter."

The Firehouse in January replaced its executive director, Judy Bigger, with Jessica Kooiman, who had been serving as the gallery's art director.

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